The news: Amazon rolled out greater brand safety controls on its demand-side platform (DSP) after it was criticized alongside Google and Meta in an open letter from Congress for allegedly placing ads on sites with child sexual abuse content, per Digiday reporting.
Amazon’s DSP will now include page-level reporting that shows buyers where clicks and impressions come from. “We regret that this occurred and took swift action to block these websites from showing our ads,” an Amazon spokesperson told Digiday. The company said the issue only affected a small amount of spending from a small group of advertisers, who have been refunded.
Zooming out: Amazon’s response highlights the broader struggle among large DSPs to maintain quality control. The continuing problem of made-for-advertising (MFA) sites and a number of reports from industry activist group Adalytics highlighting brand safety failures has put a spotlight on how DSPs are responding.